The present invention relates generally to field of wireless communications and related applications and, more particularly to a system, related communications device and method of acquiring current information about a mobile station in a wireless network including power source type, capacity and remaining life.
Wireless communications technology has experienced unprecedented growth, fueled by advances in radio frequency transmission, satellite broadcast systems and microelectronic technologies. Several wireless technologies have emerged and become dominant in the marketplace, including analog systems such as the Advanced Mobile Phone Systems or AMPS, and digital systems such as the Global System for Mobile Communications commonly referred to as GSM, for example. At the same time, the wireless industry is continually evolving and new products and services are constantly being developed to improve the performance of the network and increase the number of features available to the wireless consumer.
A major limitation of the wireless network is the relatively limited life-span of the power supply used to operate the wireless telephone which is referred to in the industry as a mobile station. In general, the batteries used in many common mobile station designs can last from 2 to 8 hours depending on usage, age, discharge rate, temperature, and other factors which influence the life-span of the charge cell. As a result, the user is required to re-charge often and/or replace a defective battery to ensure continued service at a sufficient level of quality.
With the introduction of newer features that drain battery power and slimmer more compact mobile station designs, the need to develop a longer lasting power source becomes more critical. In this regard, the terms xe2x80x9cpower sourcexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cpower supplyxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cbatteryxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccellxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cbattery packxe2x80x9d can be used interchangeably, either in the singular or plural. For convenience the term xe2x80x9cpower sourcexe2x80x9d will be used throughout.
The difficulty in designing a better power source is magnified by the fact that many factors are influential in determining power source life-span. Until the present invention, however, the availability of meaningful information about the current status of the mobile station power source was unavailable to the designer and/or engineer faced with the design challenge. Such power source status information would assist in analyzing the life-span of the power source in terms of specific conditions and resulting affects.
To illustrate another need for power source status information, the use of a mobile station in placing an emergency call to a 911 or emergency response unit is one example. At present, positioning of the mobile station has become a requirement and is being implemented to provide assistance in locating a mobile subscriber during an emergency. Knowledge of the available power source capacity at the time the call is placed, however, is currently not available to emergency response personnel. Such information would assist in prioritizing response activity in terms of the life-span of the power source or to encourage such personal to request as much location data as possible from the caller while power is available. If the caller is in climate that restricts or reduces the duration of the power source, the response unit can take that into consideration as part of the response strategy.
Thus, there is a need for a means of acquiring power source status information from the operational mobile station within the service area of the wireless network. A way of identifying current power source type, model and remaining capacity would provide numerous advantages.
The present invention achieves technical advantages by providing current status information about the power source of a mobile station in the wireless communications network. The information can be utilized for developmental purposes (i.e. improving battery characteristics and capacity) or in instances such as where an emergency call is placed and knowledge about the current capacity of the mobile station power source would assist in responding to the emergency situation.
According to the present invention, disclosed in one embodiment is a mobile station for use in a wireless communications network. The mobile station comprises a power source encoded with origination and type information which can be read by a reader connected to the power source. A meter is connected to the power source and is utilized to measure current power levels of the power source. A messaging means is adapted to process the origination and type information and current power capacity levels of the power source such that the origination and type information and power capacity levels are provided to the wireless communications network.
Also disclosed is a wireless communications network having a plurality of cells and base stations. The wireless communications network comprises a mobile station and a switching center(generally the Mobile Switching Center). The mobile station includes a power source encoded with information readable by the mobile station. The encoded information provides data on the origination, type, and power capacity levels of the power source. The switching center communicates with the mobile station to receive the encoded information from the mobile station. The encoded information and power capacity levels may be downloaded to the switching center real time or at a pre-determined time.
Further disclosed is a method for acquiring power source information from a mobile station encoded with origination and type information comprising the steps of reading the power source origination and type information from the power source and measuring the power level of the power source to obtain power level data. The method also includes processing the origination and type information and the power level data for transmission to the wireless communications network. The origination and type information and the power level data is then transferred to the wireless communications network.
One advantage of the present invention is that it prevents unexpected loss of power and shut downs in critical situations ( i.e. 911 calls).
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides data for continual development of power source (battery) technology for the ever growing wireless communications products market, particularly mobile phones. Also, locating algorithms can use power source capacity to influence such factors as dynamic power control, and handover criteria.
A further advantage is that the present invention will enable power source performance trending and diagnostics for use in development of higher capacity power sources.
And yet another advantage is that the present invention will allow for real-time remote battery monitoring.